


Protectors of the Inbetween

by SaltyParabolas



Category: Original Work, The Wicked + The Divine
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Found Family, M/M, Multi, OCs - Freeform, Slow Burn, not a hetero among them, the rest is original and you don't have to have read the comics to understand, the setting is loosely based on the wicked and the divine
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2019-07-05 07:55:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15859449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaltyParabolas/pseuds/SaltyParabolas
Summary: Every 25 years, gods from all "mythologies" are reincarnated to create the Pantheon. They only have two years on this earth however, and need to leave protectors to defend the mortal plane in the time between Pantheons. So was created the Agency. Demigods, Grave Keepers, and the Scion of Monsters are found and trained, put into squads, and sent out to defend humanity against hordes of monsters and darkness.Alejandra and her team are one such squad. A squad of broken weirdos holding on by a thread. But they've got each other. And that's enough, right?A Found Family Story





	1. I'm Naga-na Lie, This Coulda Gone Better

Someday I’ll get her to stop sneaking ahead without warning us. “Erin. Erin! Get back here!”

 

“No man, look! I found an entrance, I’ll unlock it for you guys in a second.”

 

“Erin!” All I hear in response is static. I bury my face in my hands. _Why me?_

 

“Well boss,” Tomás drawls. “What’s the plan?” He has his arms crossed, a breeze wafting gently through his black hair and the fur on his long brown coat. The moon shines bright above, giving us a little light to see the outside of what we suspect is a warehouse. Tomás’ eyes glint mischievously in the moonlight. He’s laughing at me, as always.

 

“The plan,” I say through gritted teeth, “Is to wait until Erin opens that damn door, and then beat her over the head with it.”

 

“Do you want me to check on her?” Caspian asks, gesturing to the small vent above the locked double doors. He flicks his wings, his blue eyes trained on me, ready to fly at my command.

 

I dragged my hands down my face. “No, you’re too big Cas, you won’t fit. We’ll just wait for her to get her reckless ass back here.”

 

“Pot, kettle,” Daniel said, a trace of humor in his tone, not looking up from the trashy romance novel he's reading, one of the many he kept around his room at base. I know he’ll put it away when Erin gets the door open, but this is getting ridiculous.

 

“Daniel, is this really the time?”

 

“To point out your hypocrisy? It’s always the time,” he replies, again not looking up from his book.

 

“An excellent point, my friend!” Tomás says with a grin.

 

“I meant the book, smart asses.”

 

“Well, we’re not doing anything, so what better way to spend the time?”

 

Caspian peers down at the book. “ _The Knight in the Glen_? That’s a new one.”

 

Daniel grins, still not averting his gaze. “Yeah it is. It’s about a knight-”

 

“And a glen presumably,” Tomás interjects.

 

“Would you all _shut up!”_ I whisper. “If we can’t get into this compound, those fucking Nagas will overrun the city!”

 

“Well, how long can we wait here before we assume that Erin is dead?”

 

“Not funny Tomás.” I mutter.

 

“And no longer relevant, because I have arrived!” comes a proud whisper from the now partially open double doors.

 

“I’m going to kill you.” I stalk through the doors first, pushing through the doors, and whacking Erin across the back of the head. I lead the way into what looks like a warehouse, with high ceilings, dimly lit, with and stacked high with crates. I note that there’s some sort of pulley system going on that allows the crates to be moved from one end of the warehouse to another. We’re currently on a platform above the rest of the warehouse, and to the right are stairs going down. It appears to be empty, but appearances can be deceiving.

 

“You say the sweetest things,” Erin says smiling, her blonde hair glowing in the low light.

 

“You shouldn’t provoke her,” Daniel says.

 

“Oh, but she makes it so easy.”

 

“Just because the prey is easy, does not make it good to eat,” he replies from behind me as I walk away.

 

“Look wise guy, just because your mom is Athena doesn’t mean you have to sound like a fortune cookie all the time.” Tomás says.

 

“And implying that Erin wants to eat Alejandra seems a little strange, don’t you think?” Caspian says, quirking his brow at Daniel.

 

Daniel blushes. “I didn’t mean-”

 

“Nah, we all know what you meant, big guy,” Erin says, patting his shoulder reassuringly, glaring daggers at Caspian.

 

I clear my throat loudly, getting their attention. “Any day now guys. Nagas? Overthrowing the city? Ring a bell?”

 

“Right!” Caspian says snapping his wings out and launching into the air. Erin shimmies her way down a pole to our left and hops on top of one of the stacks of crates. Daniel stuffs his book into his blue letterman jacket and makes his way down the stairs.

 

Tomás glances at me and grins, gesturing towards the stairs. “After you, _Se_ _ñ_ _orita_ Navarro,” he says, his green eyes glowing slightly.

I glare at him. “You’re the worst, you know that?”

 

His grin doesn’t falter. “So you remind me every day, _mamita chula_.”

 

I narrow my eyes. “That means something different where you’re from.”

 

“I said what I said,” he says with a grin.

 

“Whatever,” I say, deciding it’s not worth fighting tonight. _Is it ever worth getting into it with someone who can speak Spanish faster than you can think?_ The answer is no, and yet I do it with alarming frequency.

 

I make my way down the steps, Tomás trailing behind me, guard up as I study my surroundings. It’s unnerving to see such a large place completely devoid of people.

 

“Whatcha got for me Cas? Erin?”

 

Caspian lands beside me, running his hands through his hair. “It’s completely empty,” he says, brow furrowed. “But everything’s a mess. It’s like they abandoned it part way through moving things around.”

 

“Maybe Erin was louder than she thought,” Toby says.

 

“Hey! I heard that.” We all hear Erin’s indignant voice over comms. “I was quiet, there’s no way they heard me. But I’ve almost got this crate open, maybe we can see what-”

 

She doesn’t finish her sentence as a human figure shoots out of the box, grabbing her by the neck. She lets out a choked yell as all around the supposedly empty warehouse, lids of crates slam open, revealing human torsos and serpentine lower halves as they slither out.

 

“Ambush!” Daniel cries, pulling out a small bead and chucking it into the part of the warehouse we weren’t currently standing. It clatters to the ground, a quiet _clink_ in the sudden roar of noise. Then it explodes, sending wooden shrapnel and chunks of Naga in all directions.

 

“You got this?” Caspian asks, gesturing towards the four Nagas approaching us.

 

I grin at him as I pull a rod from the inside of my black leather jacket. “You know it!” Caspian grins back at me and takes to the air, pulling out his twin pistols, picking off the Nagas that stumbled out from the explosion.

 

I turn to face the Nagas approaching. There’s seven of them now, slithering towards me, swords in hand, smirking in triumph. Seven monsters against one poor, helpless little girl, armed only with a rod. Right?

 

Wrong.

 

I reach deep into myself, searching for that spark in the pit of my stomach. I let it ignite and energy begins to spiral round my hands as I grip the rod with both hands. It extends and in one swift _crack_ 23 sharp obsidian stones slip out of the sides of the wood to form what looks like a sharp club of sorts. My _macuahuitl_ and I have seen worse than seven Nagas.

 

“Tomás, can you help-”

 

“On it!” Tomás sprints over to the stack of crates where Erin is being held aloft by her throat. He climbs the pile with almost catlike grace and stands behind the Naga holding Erin. His eyes glow green as he says. “ _Hola guapo._ Maybe you’d like to dance with me instead?” The Naga turns, confused, and then his grip slackens upon looking in Tomás’ eyes.

 

Erin immediately pushes herself back, gasping for air. Tomás slowly approaches the Naga. _“_ Nighty night,” he whispers seductively, placing his hand in the curve of the Naga’s neck, his hand glowing a sickly green. The Naga’s eyes roll back in it’s head and it begins to convulse, veins glowing the same green pouring out of Tomás’ hand. Finally, it falls limp in his grasp.

 

Tomás drops the dead Naga and walks over to Erin. “You good?” he asks.

 

“Yeah I’ll be fine,” she says with a hoarse voice.

 

Tomás looks up and his eyes widen. “Wanna get down there in style?”

 

Erin follows his gaze and then grins up at him. “Always!”

 

And that’s how they arrived in front of me, barreling across the warehouse on a makeshift zipline, kicking the last Naga down before I could swing at its ugly head. I glare at Tomás. “Was that necessary?”

 

He grins. “No, but it sure was fun!” he says, letting Erin go. “Though I didn’t get my good luck kiss, Princess Leia.”

 

Erin rolls her eyes. “You wouldn’t have enjoyed it anyway, you gay bastard.”

 

“No, but come on! That was clearly a Luke and Leia moment, and you, the one currently wearing a Poe Dameron jacket, didn’t take advantage. What kind of a Star Wars fan are you?”

 

Erin laughs. “Yeah yeah, shame on me. Wanna go seduce a Naga so I can stab it?”

 

“Now you’re speaking my language!”

 

I sigh, exasperated, as they run off. _They’re such weirdos. But they’re my weirdos._

 

I spot another clump of Nagas making their way over.

 

I grin. This is my life. Killing monsters with my best friends.

 

What more could I want?

 


	2. He Bops and Wears Purple Tutus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First impressions are sometimes right. But also, consider, they are so often so very wrong.

Hey you. Yeah you, staring at your screen like a blob. I mean that in the most non judgemental way possible, of course.

 

I bet you have a lot of questions. Like, why were a group of twenty-some year old folks fighting a warehouse full of Nagas? Who are we? Do we do this often? How did we get to run so smoothly, so efficiently as a team-

 

You can stop laughing any time now.

 

Seriously.

 

 _Anyway,_  I feel like those questions would be best answered if I started at the beginning. Well, not the beginning of each of our stories, because, well, that would be a lot at once. But maybe telling the story of us, how we began as a squad, will enlighten you. Or maybe it’ll confuse you even more. Who knows, I’m not a storyteller.

 

But I am in charge, so we’re doing this my way.

 

So here you go.

 

The story of Squad 17.

 

*****

 

It all started with a purple tutu.

 

Tomás always had the weirdest outfits. He has his reasons, and respect to him for what he does, but gods he wears some things that _really_ burn your eyes.

 

And the day I met him, he was wearing what I maintain is the weirdest outfit I’ve seen on him to date.

 

See, he hadn’t found that fur coat yet, and he hadn’t cut his hair. He was wearing a neon green t-shirt, a purple tutu, purple and red leggings, covered by a blue pair of shorts. His wavy black hair nearly reached his shoulders and was tucked back behind his ears. One ear was pierced and held a single gold loop. His eyes were a startling shade of green, and his tanned skin was smooth. In fact, I’d think he was incredibly handsome if he weren’t dressed like he went to a clown’s house and got dressed in the dark.

 

Now, I’d like to say that I was nice about this. That I ignored the strange wardrobe choice and moved on professionally.

 

I believe my exact words were “Did Cyndi Lauper vomit up her True Colors over you or what?”

 

He took it as only Tomás can. “Yeah, time and Time after Time again” he said, waggling his eyebrows.

 

I stared at him for a moment and then grinned. “Let me try that again. My name is Alejandra, and you are a very colorful person.” I held out my hand to shake his.

 

He looked down to study it for a moment, before shrugging and taking it. “Tomás. Not colorful by choice, but yeah I guess I am. You, however, are not.”

 

I looked down at my clothes. It’s the same thing I wear nowadays, actually. Black skinny jeans, combat boots, a white shirt and a black leather jacket. “Yeah, no, not so much into wearing colors,” I said with a sheepish smile.

 

“Hmm. Well, at least one of us gets to wear what they want.” Before I could puzzle _that_ out, he continued. “Well, shall we?” he asked gesturing towards the end of the hall where the rest of the new squad was waiting.

 

“Um, yeah. Yeah we should do that.” We walked down the hall to the open door where four other people waited.

 

The first to catch my eye was Caspian. He was seated at a round table, leaning forward to rest his hands on it. He’s a tall guy, with skin similar to mine, on the brownish tan side. His eyes were a warm and vibrant blue, and his clipper cut, curly black hair coarse and handsome. He was wearing a gray sleeveless shirt and a long blue cotton vest, jeans and blue converse. He actually wears about the same thing nowadays too. None of us have changed our wardrobes much come to think of it, except for Tomás.

 

He looked up when we entered the room and our eyes met. He smiled, a huge, genuine smile that looked like happiness itself was bubbling and spitting up all over his face.

 

Look, I said I’m not a storyteller.

 

Anyway, the smile made my stomach go all weird and squirmy, so I gave him a quick smile and promptly focused on something else, deciding to think about _that_ later. If ever.

 

I looked to his left. There was a girl with a short blonde bob, shorter than me, probably around 5’2. She was wearing a brown leather jacket that looked oddly familiar, and gray cargo pants. A utility belt was strapped around her waist and she too flashed me a bubbly grin. I smiled absentmindedly as I look to the other person seated at the table.

 

Daniel was a big guy. Chinese, with short, well groomed black hair, and built like a football player. He wore a blue letterman jacket and had his nose buried in a book that read _Gods of Greece: the Truth behind the Myths._ He didn’t acknowledge our presence as we approached the table.

 

The last person in the room, I was well acquainted with. “Nice of you to finally join us. Care to sit?” Assistant Director Harris gestured at the empty seats across from the others, dabbing at his glistening bald forehead. Tomás and I looked at each other, and shrugged, pulling out chairs and sitting down.

 

“Thank you. As you know, after years of training, it is finally time for you to be placed into a squad. Together you will protect the mortal plane from the many monsters that inhabit it while the Pantheon is in remission. It’s a hell of a responsibility. But you don’t have to bear it alone. Well,” he said, gesturing to all of us, “Meet your squad folks. You’re going to be spending a LOT of time together.”

 

We all looked at each other uncertainly, measuring each other up. My initial thoughts: _The Chinese guy clearly can fight_ (I was wrong). _Mister blue eyes is way too charismatic to be real, he’s gonna be the leader_ (Wrong again). _Blondie probably would kill me without a second thought, blondes are like that_ (Are we sensing a theme here?) _Tomás is clearly nuts, but he has a cool sense of humor._ (To be fair, I wasn’t wrong, but don’t tell him I said that).

 

Harris clapped his hands together loudly to get our attention. “So, who’s ready for training?”

 *****

Okay, so I’m gonna be real with you here. Our first fight was _awful._ We all assumed poor Daniel was a tank. He almost died that day. If Director Harris hadn’t stopped the exercise and Caspian hadn’t healed him immediately, he probably would have.

 

The next fight was better. We had picked up on the fact that Erin preferred to hide and then strike from the shadows. We figured out that Daniel was scary smart, and could tell us exactly where to strike to scatter our enemies across the floor, as long as we could keep him safe. We learned that Caspian was an ace shot with the pistols he kept at his belt. And I guess they learned that I like hitting things. Hard.

 

And we all learned that Tomás could be incredibly scary. Like, purple tutu aside, when he smiled and drew an enemy in, before pumping poisonous green energy into them, there was no sight more terrifying on the mortal plane.

 

Yes, we learned over those three months before our first mission. And apparently, I was the only one surprised when they made me group leader.

 

“Why?” I asked Caspian later that day. We were sitting on a bench in the base’s outdoor area, hot cocoa in hand.

 

He sipped his drink carefully, looking out to where Erin was attempting to teach Daniel how to throw a knife. “Do you remember when I came out to you?”

 

I frowned. “Yeah, but what does that have to do with-”

 

“I came to you because I was on my period,” he interrupted. “You had mentioned that you didn’t like tampons, and I had run out of pads. I was uncomfortable, and wanted the floor to swallow me whole, and just wished, more than I ever had before, that the gods hadn’t cursed me with this body.” He turned to smile down at me. “And you just went with it. You didn’t make a fuss, you didn’t overly comfort me, you just pulled me into your room went looking for the pads. And then you said-”

 

“‘If anyone gives you shit, send them to me,’” I said quietly. “But that doesn’t make me a leader Caspian, it just means that I care about my friends. I’m reckless, I don’t think before I act, I have no respect for authority-”

 

“You’re honest, you communicate well, you clearly care deeply about all of us, even if you and Tomás bicker like children, you’re a quick thinker and make fast decisions, and I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but when we’re fighting, everyone looks to you for directions. You’re our leader Alejandra.” He tooks another sip, a slight smile at his lips. “You may as well accept it.”

 

“Ale,” I said after a moment.

 

“Sorry?”

 

“My friends call me Ale.”

 

He hits me with the full force of that smile that shook me so badly that first day, the smile that made me look away because I just don’t have the time or energy to unpack _those_ feelings today.

 

“Okay Ale. My friends call me Cas.”

 

“Alright.”

 

“Alright.”

 

And that was the birth of Squad 17. The beginning of something beautiful. The beginning of something chaotic.

 

The beginning of the formation of a new family.

 

My family.


	3. I Lose My Head, But So Does a Troll, So It Evens Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you fuck up. But sometimes you blow up a troll because of it, so maybe it's not so bad.

January 27th, 2020 was easily one of the worst days of my life.

 

It was our first mission. We’d been sent to deal with some trolls on the northern coast of Scandinavia who were suspected of running a human trafficking ring, but instead of _using_ the humans, they...ate them.

 

I was reckless. I didn’t wait to hear what Daniel had to say about the trolls and just charged in, _macuahuit_ l in hand, to the alarmed shouts of my team behind me.

 

I should explain. This mission hit particularly close to home for me. My mother had been a victim of human trafficking, and because of it, she didn’t see my tenth birthday. She’d just had my little brother. One day she was there, making tamales and bouncing my baby brother on my hip and the next she was just. Gone.

 

My grandmother took us in when our mom didn’t come back. She worked in her friend’s _panadería_ , and while she didn’t make a lot of money, in the five years I lived with her, she always kept us fed and clothed, and made sure we had what we needed for school. I’ll probably never know how she did it.

 

Probably. As if I’ll ever be able to go back.

 

Anyway, it was a rough mission for me. I got angry, and I dove in head first without thinking. There was a single, solitary troll on the top of a hill, back to us as it faced the cliffs’ edge. I could take out one measly troll. Right?

 

My team tried to cover for my stupidity. Daniel desperately called out the troll’s’ weak spots as Erin climbed a tree overlooking the cliff’s edge, hoping to throw one of her little force bombs to push it off the cliff. Tomás was cursing and running to stop me.

 

And Caspian stood behind, pistols out, ready to shoot at my word. Which he got in the form of a battle cry as I charged up the hill towards the troll.

 

It turned around and laughed, swinging down at me. I slid under his grasping hand and jabbed him in the leg with my _macuahuitl_. Then the bastard kicked me. But like a soccer player, instead of launching me away, he started juggling me. With his nasty troll feet. Which was not what I was worried about as I was repeatedly launched in the air. I believe my thoughts were more “Ow OW ow fuck,” than anything else.

 

So Caspian did what he always does. He ran in to help. I don’t know what he was planning on doing exactly, but he ran up, pistols blasting one after another, and because he’s a scary good shot, he didn’t hit me once. Finally,  the troll playing Chicharito with me took notice. It roared and kicked me away against the side of the tree Erin was hiding in. I landed in a battered heap at the base of it.

 

“Ale?” Erin said, worried. All I could do was groan in response.

 

Caspian started backing up, but the troll wouldn’t have any of that. It reached down, and well. Caspian isn’t as fast as I am. It picked him up effortlessly, pinning his hands to his sides and squeezing. Cas let out a choked yell. I looked up at the troll from my place in the grass.

 

I don’t know what it saw when it looked at me. Long black hair all in my face, dirty and bruised. When it looked into my eyes, did it see the hatred? The anger? The pleading to please, please not hurt my teammate?

 

I don’t know what it saw. But it looked at me and smiled. That smile still haunts me. It said _I know how to hurt you._ And it did.

 

It reared back and launched Caspian off the side of the cliff. All of us screamed, I think. I don't know for sure. All I could hear was Caspian, yelling as he barreled down the side of the cliff. All I could think was _I did this. I did this. This is my fault._

 

The troll stalked over to me, kneeling down to face me. “Your turn,” it grunted, reaching down to grab me.

 

I didn’t even fight it. I just bowed my head and accepted my fate.

 

“Yeah right. Let her go, you overgrown pile of garbage!” Tomás launched himself onto the troll’s back, trying to pump his poison into it. It laughed. “Your turn then,” the troll said haltingly.

 

“No! Please, leave him. Take me and leave him,” I pleaded, trying to stand up.

 

The troll looked at me, then at Tomás who still clung to his back, confused as to why his poison wasn’t working. “Both,” it decided, and reached down to grab me.

 

“No! Put him down!” I yelled, but I didn’t move out of the way as it grabbed me, pinning my arms as it had Cas’. _It’s my fault. I did this. I led them into this._ I knew it was what I deserved. But Tomás-

 

Tomás pushed himself off the troll’s back as it reached back for him. rolling onto the ground. We all heard a _crack_ as he fell and he let out a shout of pain. I closed my eyes in relief. _Now they can get away._

 

The troll raised me up to its eye level, that smile still there, mocking me. “Good. Bye.” it said, rough voice almost gleeful as it squeezed me tighter.

 

Suddenly, it’s head exploded, blood splattering everywhere, covering me from head to toe. “Couldn’t have said it better myself,” came a familiar voice from above us as I was dropped to the ground.

 

I looked up to see...Caspian. Unharmed, grinning, and _flying._ Two enormous wings jutted out from his back, graceful, white and speckled gray. He blew on his two pistols like a western outlaw, then twirled and holstered them.

 

Needless to say, we were all pretty surprised.

 

Everyone ran up to him as he landed, asking him how, when, why? Everyone except me. I sat in the grass, staring at the corpse of the troll. _My fault._ As everyone celebrated our victory, I quietly made my way back to the transport.

 

*****

I managed to avoid my team for three days. I mostly stayed in my room, feigning sickness to get out of training, and taking my food in my room when I needed to. I couldn’t get it out of my head. Caspian’s panicked yell as he was launched off the cliffside, the troll’s triumphant smile as it laughed at me. The pain in Tomás’ face as he limped over to Caspian. _My fault._

 

Finally, I guess the squad had had enough. I heard a knock at my door. “Sorry, I’m sick, can’t come to the door,” I said, making my voice sound weak and tired. It wasn’t difficult.

 

“Open the door Alejandra. It’s been three days.” It was Daniel, calm and reasonable.

 

“I’ve been sick!” I said indignantly.

 

“Bullshit. Now open the door or I’ll get Erin to pick the lock.”

 

“There is no lock.”

 

“And yet we both know she’ll find a way to open it.”

 

I reluctantly got to my feet and opened the door.

 

“What do you want, Daniel?”

 

“Can I come in?”

 

I looked back into my room. It was an absolute disaster, but that wasn’t really anything new. “Yeah. I guess."

 

He came in, closing the door gently behind him, before perching on the edge of my bed. “You’re avoiding us,” he said matter of factly.

 

“Yeah, what gave it away?” I muttered. He gave me that look that supposedly only moms have, but we all know that’s a lie because everyone has that mom friend who has the look down pat. The looks that says ‘don’t give me that tone of voice, young lady, you know I’m right.’

 

“Sorry,” I said, standing awkwardly in front of him. “Yes, I’ve been avoiding you all.”

 

“Because of the troll mission.”

 

“Yes.” There really was no point in lying.

 

He patted the bed beside him. “Sit.” Not an order, exactly. More like a gentle suggestion. I sat next to him on the bed, staring down at my clasped hands.

 

“So. You fucked up.”

 

“Wow. Thanks for that.”

 

“No, listen to me. You fucked up. You messed up in your first mission and your first time as leader. It’s okay to mess up. We’re all going to mess up a lot. We’re new to this. No amount of training really prepares you for,” he gestures towards the door, “all of that.”

 

Seeing I wasn’t convinced, he sighed. “You know, growing up I was on the football team.” I perked up a bit. None of us had really talked about our pasts much, so when someone did, we all listened. “My dad didn’t really get why I loved books so much. We didn’t know at the time that my mom was Athena, so his confusion at why I cared more about history and romance novels than sports was understandable. I’m pretty sure he was convinced I was gay.”

 

“Well, I mean, he’s half right?”

 

“Heh, I guess. Anyway, he wanted me to play football so bad. So I did. And the first time I went to tackle someone, I didn’t do it right. Bounced right off and back into the guy behind me. Almost broke his foot with my cleat. I marched off the field to my dad, threw my helmet down, and said I’d never play football again. And you know what he did?”

 

“He gave you some dadly wisdom.”

 

“He gave me some dadly wisdom. He said ‘Son, you messed up your first time. Your team’s gonna mess up too. They understand. And they’ll cover for you, because you are a team. And you’re going to learn and get better, and you’re going to find you have a whole band of brothers to fall back on when things get rough. And you know what?”

 

“What?”

 

“He was right.  I learned to tackle people, I got stronger and faster. None of the guys understood my love of reading, but they kept people from hurting me at school for it. Because we were a team.” He puts his hand on my shoulder. “ _We’re_ a team now Ale. And yeah, you’re our leader, and that’s a lot of responsibility, but we’re all in this together.”

 

“Did you just quote High School Musical?”

 

He blinked in surprise. “I suppose I did. I’ve been hanging around Erin too much.” He smiled, eyes a little distant for a moment. “Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that none of us blame you. Well, Tomás does a little, but I think he mostly just wants a chance to tease you about it.” Daniel hesitated. “But I do think you should talk to Caspian.”

 

_Shit._

 

“Right, yeah, I’ll go do that.” I stood up. “Do you know where he is?”

 

“I think he went to go practice flying. He’s probably in the Patio.” The Patio was an outdoor “training ground” that was basically a park within the base with the occasional jungle gym like structure dotting the perimeter. Everyone except for Tomás like hanging out there. “Too much nature,” Tomás would say dismissively.  

 

“Alright. Yeah, I’ll just-” I stopped and looked down at Daniel. “Thank you,” I said quietly, holding out my arm. He grabbed my forearm firmly and looked up at me with those knowing eyes.

 

“Anytime, Alejandra.”

 

*****

I made my way to the Patio, my mind racing. _But I do think you should talk to Caspian._ Shit. What if he hated me? What if he wanted to switch squads? _Why do you care so much?_ that annoying voice in my brain said, the one that points out truths that I don’t want to face. Nope, not going down that road. I walk through the grass, finding the bench Caspian and I liked sitting on in our downtime. I looked at it, not really wanting to sit, feeling restless. _My fault._

 

I shook myself. None of that. I just needed to apologize to Caspian and hope he didn’t hate me too much.

 

I hear the heavy _thwap thwap_ of wings as Caspian gently touched down on the ground. He looked at me, face unreadable, blue eyes studying me.

 

“Hi Cas. Caspian. Um, I wanted to say I’m sorry? Wow no that sounds like a question.” He began walking towards me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for what happened to happen, that mission touched a nerve,” he continued his path towards me and my voice slowly went up an octave “I didn’t mean for you or anyone to get hurt I just-” he walked up so that he was right up in my face. “...please don’t hate me,” I finished in a whisper, unable to look anywhere but at him.

 

He stared at me for a second, and then pulled me forward and crushed me in a massive hug. “It’s okay, Ale. I forgive you. Please stop hiding from us,” he said softly. “And please, don’t ever give up on a fight like that again.”

 

My brain went into overdrive. _He doesn’t hate me, he’s hugging me, I haven’t had a hug in six years, how does this work_? Finally, my arms raised to wrap up his back and I found myself sobbing. He held me, softly humming as I completely broke down. We stayed like that for about an hour, but Cas never complained. He just held me until I eventually pulled back and thanked him, embarrassed. He just smiled gently and said “Come on. You should talk to the group.”

 *****

I explained what had happened. Erin put her spin on it, as only Erin can. “So the way I see it, Daniel learned a new weak spot for trolls, Caspian got _wings_ , I was free from Tomás’ whining for a day, and Tomás got out of a day’s training before Director Harris realized that Cas could just heal his broken ankle. Did I miss anything?” The boys all shook their heads. _“And_ , we stopped the bad guy. Who was a human trafficker, so while that’s a win for all of us, it’s especially a win for you Ale. So we all win!”

 

“That’s not really-”

 

“Yup that’s it Erin. Well put. Plus, casts are not sexy, and I got to wear one of those for a day,” Tomás said, leaning back in his chair and examining his nails. He looked up to find us all staring at him. “What?”

 

“Someday, you’re going to have to explain that dude.” She gestured to his outfit, an orange and pink tutu today.

 

“Hmm. You haven’t unlocked _my_ tragic backstory yet, but who knows? Maybe someday?” Tomás said with a smirk.

 

I wanted to say that they hadn’t really “unlocked” mine either, but I kept my mouth shut. _Maybe someday._

 

“I really am sorry though,” I said quietly.

 

Tomás grinned and sat up. “Sorry enough to-”

 

“Whatever it is, no.”

 

I underestimated the power of Tomás and Erin’s pouts, but of all the things I could have been roped into as a punishment, a Star Wars marathon wasn’t the worst thing that could happen. Even if Erin insisted we include the prequels. “They’re an important part of the story!”

 

Yeah, we may not agree on everything, but Squad 17 was well on its way to finding...balance?

 

Eh who knows. I told you, I’m no storyteller.

 

But I’m what you’ve got.

 


	4. Rick is a Dick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, family just really sucks.

Erin wasn’t sleeping. It had been three weeks, and we were all noticing the bags under her eyes, the cheeriness slowly becoming more and more forced. Tomás was the one who first noticed that our coffee stores were being depleted at a truly alarming rate. The four of us discussed it, and it was decided that I would have to talk to her. It wasn’t just that we were starting to slip more as a group in training. The shake of her hands and the nodding off in briefings were really starting to worry us.

 

“Hey, uh Erin?” I said, poking her shoulder gently. We were seated at what served as the group’s kitchen table. Our five rooms all connected to a common area, leading into a kitchen/dining room equivalent where we spent a lot of our group time. Many a Clue game had been played on this table. No not monopoly, we want to stay friends, thank you very much. “Erin. Erin!” I poked her again and she jolted upright.

 

“Yes! Yes what Dan...I mean, Alejandra,” she said, rubbing her eyes.

 

“Look, I don’t mean to pry or anything, but you look…”

 

“Hypnotically beautiful?” she said weakly.

 

“Tired, is what I was going to say.”

 

“Oh.” She avoided my gaze, fiddling with the cuff of her Poe Dameron jacket. She was rarely seen without the jacket, despite all of our teasing.

 

_“You have absolutely no room to talk Tomás.” “Touche.”_

 

“It’s just you know, you’re always so peppy! And happy!” I tried to imitate her normal bubbly state.

 

Her fists clenched and she glared at me with bloodshot eyes. “I can’t be bubbly all the time Alejandra!” she exclaimed angrily. I was taken aback. She never yelled. “I can’t-” she trailed off as her eyes rolled back in her head and she pitched forward onto the table.

 

“Erin! Shit. CASPIAN!” I yelled, knocking my chair back and putting my fingers to her neck to try to find a pulse.

 

“Yeah what’s- Erin?” Caspian saids, exiting his room, toweling off his hair. Upon seeing her collapsed form, he threw the towel into his room and rushed over. “What happened?” He asked, his hands already glowing white as he put one on the side of her face and the other on her back.

 

“I don’t know, she was yelling at me and then she just collapsed!” I began counting the beats of her heart. It beat, strong and steady.

 

Caspian frowned as he ran his hands over her body. “I think she’s just sleeping. Exhaustion must finally be setting in.”

 

“What is going on with her?” I asked as Caspian pulled her into his arms, leading the way to her room.

 

“I don’t know, but it’s gone a little far, whatever it is. Is that...buzzing?” he asked, confused, looking around as he gently set her on the bed, tucking her in carefully, one leg out from the covers, just the way she liked it.

 

I listened and sure enough, I heard a buzzing sound coming from Erin’s desk. I frowned and walked over to the desk, opening the top drawer and pulling out a cell phone. “She has a cell phone?” Cas asks, surprised. None of us had cell phones. We had communication devices for the group and to communicate with the base when we were off on missions, but no actual cell phones. They hadn’t exactly been _banned,_ but it had been “strongly suggested” we stay off the grid.

 

“Yeah. Who is Rick?” I asked, seeing a string of texts.

 

“Rick?” Caspian asked, walking over to read over my shoulder.

 

“Yeah, he’s sent a SHIT ton of texts in the past ten minutes. Look at this one: ‘Have you found it yet?’”

 

“Should we be going through her messages though? It seems a little invasive,” he said uneasily.

 

I look up at him. “Cas, she just passed out from exhaustion in front of me. I’m worried.”

 

He hesitated before nodding resolutely. “Yeah, she needs help. Okay, keep scrolling.”

 

What we saw, we didn’t like. This “Rick” guy kept asking for updates on “it” and kept saying she “Wasn’t delivering fast enough.”

 

“Do you think she’s in trouble with someone? Maybe they’re blackmailing her.” I started pacing the room. “Shit, what can we do if they’re blackmailing her?”

 

“Hey, calm down, she’s gonna be fine.” Caspian reached out and took me by the shoulders. “She’s going to be _fine_ ,” he said again at my disbelieving look. “How about, when she wakes up, we just ask her?”

 

I frown, looking over at Erin’s peaceful, if exhausted looking form. “Yeah, okay. But if she’s in trouble, I am fully ready to kick someone’s ass.”

 

“I know.”

 

“This Rick dude has nothing on me.”

 

“I know.”

 

*****

 

Erin came darting out of her room around two in the morning, frantic. “Has anyone been in my room?” she asked, rushing over to where Caspian and I were sitting.

 

“Yes, as a matter of fact,” Cas said, leaning back in his chair.

 

“Looking for this?” I asked, holding up the phone.

 

Erin’s eyes widened. “I can explain.”

 

I arched my brow. “Please do.”

 

She collapsed into one of the chairs across from us. “It’s...it’s not what it looks like, I promise.” She took a deep, shuddering breath. “You’ve probably seen a lot of texts from Rick, right?”

 

“Yeah, a lot is understating things a bit. You’ve got like a bajillion texts from him, and you’ve only been asleep for five hours.”

 

“Five hours. Shit,” she muttered. She looked me straight in the eyes. “Rick is my dad.”

 

I froze. “What?” Caspian and I exclaimed in unison. Whatever we had theorized of the pushy, demanding, and downright rude mystery man, that had not been on the list.

 

“Yeah, he’s my dad. He’s the one who taught me...well, everything I know really. Until I got better than him at it.”

 

“At what?” I asked carefully.

 

She looked at me, pleading. “Alejandra, I think you know what.”

 

“I think I do too, but I want to hear you say it.”

 

She bowed her head. “He taught me how to steal things. Anything and everything he wanted.”

 

“He wanted? Did he ever threaten you?” I asked, cold invading my tone.

 

“No! No, he never threatened me. I liked it, I enjoyed helping him. And it was,” she hesitated. “It was the only way he really spent any time with me.” She rushed to continue. “But it got to be too much, and then the Agency found me and we found out about Hermes being my other dad-”

 

“You have two dads?” Caspian said in surprise.

 

“Yeah. No, I don’t know how that works,” she said, cutting me off before I could say anything.

 

“I wasn’t going to say anything.”

 

“Sure,” she said disbelievingly. “Anyway, when the Agency found me, I thought I could leave that life behind. Find my own way in the world. But he found me, during that mission in Atlanta-”

 

“That’s where you got off to!”

 

“If you two keep interrupting, I’m never going to finish telling you, am I?” she said crossly. “Yeah, he found me, and told me how much he missed me, and wanted to team up again and...,” she trailed off.

 

“And?” Cas prompted gently.

 

“And I missed him. Even though he only ever really cared when I was helping him on his next big heist.” She let out a bitter laugh. “You know this jacket?” she asks, holding out her arms to showcase it.

 

“Yeah, you never take it off,” I said, brow furrowing.

 

“He gave it to me. He told me, ‘Ya did good kid. I got ya this, straight and honest and everything.’” She smiles sadly, pulling at a thread on the cuff. “Yeah, turns out that was a lie. He had a buddy steal it from off the set of The Last Jedi.”

 

“That’s the _original_ Poe Dameron jacket?” I exclaimed.

 

“Yeah. And yet, when I found out he stole it, I was just disappointed.” She sighed. “But it’s still the only thing he ever gave me that wasn’t to help him steal something. So I kept it. He may be a fuck up but he…” she trailed off.

 

“He’s family,” I finished for her. “I get it. But you don’t have to do this, you know? He doesn’t deserve it.” I hesitated before continuing. “And you don’t deserve this. You’re running yourself ragged, trying to help him.” I thought for a moment, then reached over and held out the phone. “If you feel like this is what you want, I’m not going to stop you. If you think this is going to make you happy, go for it.” She slowly reached up and took the phone from me.

 

“But if you want to let that part of you go? When you’re ready, we’ll be here.” I gesture to Caspian. “All of us.”

 

I stood up from the table. “C’mon Cas. I think Erin’s got some thinking to do. And,” I said, whacking her gently on the back of the head, “Some sleep to get.” Cas nodded and stood up too, giving Erin a comforting squeeze on the shoulder before walking to his room. I reached the doorway of my room and looked back at Erin. She sat, staring at the phone, not turning it on, just turning it over and over in her hands. I smiled slightly and entered, closing the door behind me.

 

*****

The next day, no one commented on the shattered cell phone in the trash can. Or the fact that she kept wearing the stolen Poe Dameron jacket.

 

But our smiles were a little kinder and our hugs a little tighter that day.

 

And Erin slept peacefully for the first time in years.


	5. Ciguapa y la Fea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tomás has a rough day

I had never seen Tomás so excited. He was practically bouncing off the walls as we got onto the transport. “We’re going to my home turf! At long last!” he said excitedly.

 

“Tomás, you’ve never been to the Dominican Republic,” I pointed out.

 

“I mean, I was born there, that’s gotta count for something!” he said cheerfully.

 

“Well don’t forget the mission. Someone is kidnapping people and taking them into the forest. It sounds supernatural to The Agency, so here we go,” I said as the transporter revved up and a brilliant blue light surrounded us.

 

With a sharp _vrrrmmmm_ , we were deposited in the middle of a mangrove forest, up to our knees in brackish water. There was a squelch of mud and splash of water as we all tried to find our footing.

 

“Yeah, this is a real great place Tomás, I don’t know why your dad ever left,” I said sarcastically.

 

“The Dominican Republic is actually considered a very beautiful country,” Daniel piped up. “I think we just had some bad luck in our drop off spot.”

 

“This isn’t so bad,” Cas said, leaning down to inspect the roots of the trees. “I mean, it’s actually a pretty cool area. Or you know, it would be if we weren’t soaked from the waist down.”

 

We paused to take in our surroundings. The forest was muggy and dense. Greenery rested like a blanket above us and the roots of the trees a few feet away seemed like they could help us get out of the water. I was about to point them out when Daniel said “Where’s Erin?”

 

We looked around and didn’t see her anywhere around us. “Erin?” I called out. There was no answer. Only the quiet buzzing of various insects as they flit around us. “Guys, be on the lookout. Something’s not right here.” I pulled out my _macuahuitl_ and activated it, and heard Caspian taking the safety off his pistols.

 

“Let’s move out. _Quietly,”_  I whispered. They all nodded and we slowly pulled ourselves out of the water, trying to make as little noise as possible. It was Daniel who noticed the footprints.

 

“Look,” he whispered, pointing.

 

“What do you think, Sherlock?” I asked as he knelt down next to them.

 

“They’re fresh and they’re probably hers. They look about her shoe size, and they’re wide like the boots she wears.”

 

“Okay folks, we’ve got a direction. Let’s go!” I said, pointing the way with my _macuahuitl_.

 

We followed the tracks for about ten minutes, going deeper and deeper into the forest. Suddenly, Daniel stopped us. “Guys, wait.” We all paused as he cocked his head to the side and listened. “Do you hear that?”

 

I strained to listen. “I don’t hear anything,” I said.

 

“Exactly. There’s no sound where we are right now. No insects, animals, wind, rain, nothing. In a _forest._ ” Daniel said.

 

“Okay, are you thinking an ambush?” I asked.

 

“Probably.”

 

“They don’t know who they’re messing with,” I growled.

 

“Hey guys, the tracks end he-,” Tomás called out from in front of us before cutting himself off. He was staring out into a clearing. The rest of us rushed over to where he stood and I felt my jaw drop.

 

Standing there was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life. Yet if you asked me to describe her, I couldn’t do it. All I remember was that she was gorgeous and stark naked. The details were a little fuzzy.

 

“Shit, Erin!” Tomás exclaimed, seemingly unaffected by the woman’s presence, rushing over to where Erin lay, unconscious. “Caspian, a little help?” he barked before looking back at us where we stood, staring dumbfounded at the woman. “Guys?” he said uncertainly.

 

“Well, aren’t you just an interesting little man,” the woman murmured softly, gliding over to where Tomás was kneeling next to Erin. She smirked as she looked down at him. “No matter. No one can resist the Ciguapa’s gaze,” she said, lifting his chin to look him in the eyes. Bright, distinctive green eyes that matched her own. She reeled back in shock. “That’s not- that’s not possible,” she stammered, backing away.

 

“Ciguapa, huh?” he said, slowly standing up. “Yeah, I heard stories about you growing up. Most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, one time fling in the forests of Los Haitises, left him with a broken heart and a week old brat to take care of.” He glares at her, his eyes glowing that sickly green we’d all become accustomed to. “Hi mom. Nice to meet you. Dad says hi,” he said pulling up his shirt to reveal a nasty looking scar on his side. “Thanks so much for leaving me with him. And for what? You’re the one who’s been dragging people into the forest, right?”

 

She stood still before anger twisted her features. “I don’t drag anyone. They come of their own volition. And so what? Will you stop me, my son, from encouraging them? From finding food to sustain myself? Or will you help me take care of your...friends over there,” she said, gesturing towards us. Her eyes sparkled. “Just imagine what we could do! Two Ciguapas, working together. We would be unstoppable.” I heard her lacing her words with the same seductive sweetness Tomás used to get his way.

 

Tomás stared at her, as if drinking in the sight of her. “You know, I always wanted to meet you,” he said. “I thought, she’s my mom. Surely she must be different.”

 

After a moment, he shook his head and his face contorted in disgust. “But you’re no different than the rest of the world. You don’t care about me, you just want my power. Well, mother dear, you can kindly _fuck off.”_

 

And with that, he launched himself at his mother, grabbing her arms and tackling her to the ground. She snarled and resisted, his glowing green hands having no effect on her. She threw him off of her with supernatural strength. “Get him,” she ordered us, pointing at Tomás.

 

We began shambling towards him. “Leave them ALONE,” Tomás roared and a green light shot out in a circle with him at the epicenter, hitting all of us. In that instant my mind cleared. And I glanced to my side and saw Daniel and Cas shaking off the effect of her power as well.

 

Daniel and I launched forward to tackle the Ciguapa to the ground, pinning her there. Caspian took off to go check on Erin. Which left Tomás, facing his mother as she spit and cursed at him in that fast Dominican Spanish that I just couldn’t keep up with if I tried.

 

“Tomás,” I grunted, wincing as the Ciguapa elbowed me in the face. “I’m sorry. But we need to-”

 

“I know,” Tomás said with a heavy sigh. He picked up my _macuahuitl_. Daniel and I glanced at each other, unsure of what he was going to do. The Agency gave us full discretion to choose between killing the monsters we find, or bringing them in to be locked up. Some monsters can’t be helped, but some can. It’s up to us to make that choice.

 

But this was his _mother_.

 

He stared down at the weapon in his hand before rearing back and swinging it forward.

 

The flat of the wood slammed into her jaw, knocking her unconscious.

 

I let her fall to the ground as Daniel pulled out handcuffs to bind her, and walked over to Tomás, who was staring at the ground and gripping the _macuahuitl_ so hard his knuckles turned white.

 

I gently pulled his fingers off the weapon one by one, deactivated it and stored it in my jacket. Then I pulled him into a hug. He stiffened. “Relax. I got you,” I whispered. He shuddered and wrapped his arms around me, burying his face in my neck. “I got you,” I said again, pulling him closer. Daniel came up behind us and wrapped us both into a hug.

 

Caspian helped a weakened Erin over and they joined in, and we stood in the middle of the forest, a naked lady handcuffed and unconscious on the ground, but it was like it was only the five of us there. Mourning for our friend. Together.

 

*****

 

Tomás slept for the rest of the day, and then pulled us all into the dining room to talk. “So… that was a thing,” he began awkwardly. It was hard to see him look so ill at ease. He was usually so smooth and quick witted that his discomfort was just strange to see.

 

Apparently Erin agreed. “I’ll say! Your mom tried to seduce me!” she said indignantly. Her attempt to break the tension worked and Tomás laughed.

 

“Considering the state you were in, I think I’d have to say she succeeded!” He said with a grin. His smile faltered then, and he looked at the ground. “So, my mom is a monster.”

 

“Yeah. Did you know?”

 

“I had my suspicions, but I was never sure. But the way you reacted to her, the way you couldn’t move because she’s so alluring or whatever? It’s not just the fact that you’re all bisexual messes. I have that ability too.  Except I can’t turn it off. That’s why I wear,” he gestured towards his mess of an outfit “all of this. People focus on it instead of my face, so I don’t have to worry about accidentally seducing them.”

 

The way he spat the words “accidentally seducing them” sent alarm bells ringing in my mind. “Have you done that? Accidentally seduced someone?”

 

He stared at me for a moment, as if contemplating whether or not to trust me, before sighing. “Yeah. My best friend, Reynolds, who was straight. I’d go over to his house a lot, to get away from my dad. I had this massive crush on him, but between my dad’s...let’s say ‘worldview’, and him being, well, straight, I kept it to myself.”

 

“One day, he came over to my house to do homework. I felt something wash over me; I wasn’t sure what it was at the time. Next thing I know, he’s climbing into my lap and kissing me. I pulled back to ask him what the hell he was doing when I saw my hands glowing green.” Erin gasped and Tomás smiled sardonically. “Yeah, I poisoned him. And just as that was happening, my dad walked in.” He looked down at his feet. “He threw me against the wall and I thought he was going to kill me. The Agency intervened just in time to save Reynolds and to stop my dad.”

 

We stared at him as he studied his shoes. “So yeah. There, you’ve unlocked my tragic backstory.”

 

“So, you made us immune to your power, right?” I asked.

 

“Yeah, it looks like that’s exactly what I did,” he replied warily.

 

“Well,” I said said with a grin, “I think we know what we need to do.”

 

Tomás frowned. “What?”

 

I just kept grinning and grabbed his arm. “Come on, loser. We’re going _shopping.”_

 

_*****_

 

One haircut and shopping trip later, we were all waiting outside Tomás’ room as he got changed.

 

“Come _on_ , Tomás, we wanna see!” Erin groaned, lying back on the sofa.

 

“I’ll check on him,” Cas said, knocking on the door.

 

“Come in!”

 

Caspian entered, but stopped abruptly part way through the door. From the angle I was watching, I saw his jaw drop. “Holy shit you guys!” Cas said with a laugh. “Tomás is _hot_ ! _”_

 

We all ran up and crowded around the door, trying to get a glimpse. He stood there, his newly cut hair wet from the shower he’d taken, dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt. He was holding out a fake fur coat. “You’re sure this will be enough?” he asked skeptically.

 

“Positive. You don’t need to go over the top to wear something super off putting,” I said. “And don’t you want to wear something that you at least somewhat like?”

 

He smiled at me, one of the rare, genuine smiles he gave out. “Yeah, I really would.” He slipped the coat on. “Well?” He asked, twirling around. “What do you think?”

 

Cas grinned. “I think this is pre-fur-able.”

 

“No!” “Cas, how could you sink so low?” “Caspian, you disappoint me”

 

Tomás just grinned and high fived him “Clever word play is peak humor, good job my man.”

 

“Well. Just fur now.”

 

“Okay, don’t push it, Wings.”

  
  


*****

 

Later, Tomás and I sat on the sofa. I was fidgeting with a Rubik’s cube as Tomás read a book about some historical figure whose name I couldn’t pronounce. I finally gave up on the puzzle from hell and turned to face my friend.

 

“Tomás?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“You know that we don’t like you just because of your power, right?” I asked.

 

He stiffened and didn’t look up from his book, though he was clearly not reading it. “Right.”

 

“Because you’re basically my best friend here.” His eyes shot up to meet mine. “I know we argue a lot, but there’s no one I’d rather have by my side. After all,” I said joked “Who would make clever quips in battle with me if not for you?”

 

He grinned. “You’re alright, ya know that Navarro?”

 

“You’re not so bad yourself, Hernández.”

  
  



	6. They Unlock My Tragic Backstory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which I get far more than I deserve

_I duck into the elementary school’s boy’s bathroom. “Javi?” I whisper, pushing open one of the stall doors. I hear a whimper and a “shh” and then someone bursts out from the other stall into my arms._

 

_“Ale,” he cries, burying his face in my shirt. “What are you doing here?”_

 

_“I came to pick you up, but then,” I gesture towards the opening. “Things happened. Is there someone else in here?”_

 

_“Joaquin and Marco were both here too when we went on lock down.” I see the two frightened boys cowering in the corner by the urinals._

 

_“It’s okay. Go get back in the stall. You boys-”_

 

_I’m cut off by a series of gunshots._

 

_I whirl around, and there’s a man standing at the entrance of the bathroom. He’s wearing a black bulletproof vest and a tactical suit. Strapped to his back are two guns. I don’t know what model or brand or anything, but they look terrifying. He’s holding another one at his side and pointing it at me. A piece of the ceiling drops to his feet from where he just shot it. “Well miss, you’re not supposed to be in here, are you?” he sneers._

 

_“Neither are you,” I say quietly, pulling the whimpering five year olds behind me._

 

_“Well, I’m afraid you’re in my way. I guess I’ll just have to-”_

 

_I move on instinct. I charge him, grabbing the gun. Point it at my stomach as I shove him with all my strength. We land outside the bathroom. I feel countless bullets tear into my stomach. I distantly hear yelling as the man is grabbed and slammed into the wall by a group of large, armed men._

 

_I hear my brother screaming. I try to speak, to comfort him, but it’s impossible. Blood gurgles past my lips and I hear someone telling me to hold on. My brother’s shrill cry echoes in my ears._

 

_*****_

 

I shot up in bed, panting, sweat dripping down my face. _Not this again._ I took a moment to compose myself, grabbing my towel off the chair by my desk and using it to wipe my face. _Deep breaths._ I slowly got up from my bed and exited my room, making my way unsteadily to the kitchen.

 

I opened the refrigerator, looking around for the milk. _Why does Daniel always put it back there?_  I thought as I reach into the very back of the refrigerator.

 

“You’re up early,” someone said behind me. I cursed and slammed my head up into a shelf in the fridge. “Good job,” Cas said, amused.

 

I pulled out of the refrigerator, milk in hand. He was sitting at the dining table, a few paint bottles spread out on the table before him. “Couldn’t sleep,” I said shortly, pulling out a mug and pouring the milk in.

 

“Hmm. Any particular reason?” he prodded.

 

“No, just couldn’t sleep. Why are you up?”

 

“I was just finishing painting a charm for my mom.” He held it up. “What do you think?”

 

I put the mug in the microwave and set it to heat up the milk before walking over. In his fingers was a small clay charm with a metal loop passing through it. The charm was sculpted to look like a tiny pair of wings, and Caspian had done a pretty amazing job at recreating his own wings using the paints.

 

“It looks great Cas, I’m sure she’ll love it,” I said, admiring his handiwork.

 

“Thanks Ale. I can’t wait to see her! Are you excited for Visitation Day?”

 

Once a year, Agents and trainees were given a full day off to spend with their families. It wasn’t that we weren’t allowed to see them otherwise, it was just generally hard to get time off, between missions and training and trying to get an ounce of sleep.

 

“Um, no. Not really.” The microwave dinged and I got up to grab my milk.

 

“What? Why not?” he asked, surprised.

 

I returned with my milk, blowing on it. “I just don’t really do Visitation Day.”

 

“You don’t... do visitation day?” he said incredulously.

 

“Nope.”

 

“But, why? Do you not have a family to visit?”

 

I hesitated, sipping my milk to buy me time. Normally I would say, no I don’t have a family to visit. But this was my teammate, my friend, and I really didn’t want to lie to him. “It’s complicated,” I said finally.

 

“But-”

 

“I don’t really want to talk about it, okay?” I said quickly.

 

He studied me closely then nodded. “Okay. If you do want to talk later-”

 

“I’ll let you know,” I say.

 

“Alright.”

 

“Alright.”

 

We smiled at each other. Somewhere along the way, that had become a _thing._

 

*****

 

The others woke up one by one. Erin was nervous about seeing her father, which made sense considering the broken phone we’d seen in the trash a few months ago. Caspian and Daniel were both excited to see their mother and father respectively. Tomás was reluctant to visit his father, which we completely understood after his explanation of his discovery of his powers. Erin and I offered to beat him up, but he waved the offer away. “He’s not worth it,” he said tiredly. “I’ll just stop in, say hi, and then leave.”  

 

“What about you Ale?” Erin asked.

 

“Oh yeah, I’m super psyched!” I said, inserting fake cheer into my voice. _So much for not lying to teammates_ a snide voice from inside my mind snarks. Ignoring it, I continued, “I’ll be leaving a little later, I have to finish up a report before we go.” Caspian’s eyes snap to mine, and I silently plea with him not to say anything. Brow furrowed, he stayed silent.

 

Everyone accepted my weak excuse and went off to the transport room. Caspian hung back, motioning the others to go ahead of him. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, putting his hand on my shoulder.

 

“I’m fine Cas. Go enjoy your time with your mom. And your grandma, right?”

 

He grinned. “Yeah, she’s makes gumbo every year when I come home.” His face lit up as though an idea had just struck him. “Hey, you could come with me!”

 

I smile sadly, trying to hide it, but clearly failing from the look on Caspian’s face. “No, I’ll be fine. It’ll do me some good to be alone for a bit.”

 

“Okay, if you’re sure,” he says hesitantly, before giving me a quick hug and walking down the hall.

 

As the door shut behind him, I let out the breath I’d been unconsciously holding. I sat down on the sofa in the group room and turned on the TV. _Maybe I can distract myself,_ I think, switching it on. _Active Shooter: America Under Fire._

 

Shit.

 

*****

Tomás was the one that found me, curled up on the sofa, a mess of snot and tears, hands over my stomach, gasping for breath.

 

“Ale...Alejandra? What the fuck?” he rushed over to me, pushing my hair out of my face. “Breathe, _chulita_ , breathe, what’s gotten into you?” He glances back at the TV, where the show is still playing. “Well, let’s get that off first,” he mutters, switching the TV off. He turns back to me, worried. “Alejandra, how can I help you?”

 

But I’m too far gone. My breathing hasn’t slowed, tears fall freely down my face.

 

_Imsorryimsorryimsorryimsorryimsorryimsorryimsorryimsorryimsorryimsorry_

 

Tomás told me later I was saying that out loud.

 

After a few minutes of this, Tomás, normally emotionally steady, mask firmly in place, allowed that mask to slip. A tear slipped down his face. “Alejandra, please, how can I help you? What happened?” he leaned his forehead against mine. “Please tell me what I can do,” he whispered.

 

I figure it was the fact that Tomás said ‘please’ that finally did it.

 

Well, not really, it probably had more to do with the fact he got the documentary off. But he had finally shaken me from my state. “Oh my god,” I said, burying my face in my knees. “I’m sorry.”

 

“Yeah, I think you’ve said that enough for today,” he said in the most gentle tone I’d ever heard from him. “Panic attack?”

 

“Yeah, I think so.”

 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t help more.”

 

“You helped. Thank you Tomás.” I stood up, wobbling a bit on weak knees. “There’s something I have to do.”

 

His green eyes bored into mine. “You’re safe?”

 

I nod. “I’m safe.” I pull him into a hug. “Thank you.”

 

“Anytime, Navarro.

 

*****

 

Caspian was the one to find me. It was dark and the cool night air against my skin grounded me. “What are you doing?” he asked softly, easing himself down to sit on the rooftop next to me.

 

“How did you find me?” I asked, my eyes trained on the ground below.

 

“Tomás told me how he found you and said you left. I checked the transport log, and was more than a little concerned when I saw ‘rooftop of a random building in Washington heights’ as the last destination.” He tried to get me to look at him. “Ale? Are you okay?”

 

I shushed him. “Look,” I said, pointed down towards a small apartment on the ground floor in the next building over. We watched as an elderly lady sang _Cielito Lindo_ as she slaved over a cooking pot. We heard the laughter of a young boy as she sang with an increasingly exaggerated Cantinflas-esque style and swagger to her hips. Caspian watched me stare down at the woman with a faint, longing smile on my lips.

 

Realization struck him. “That’s your family,” he said softly, looking back down at them.

 

“Yeah,” I whispered, my eyes never leaving my _abuela_ as she danced around the kitchen.

 

“Why don’t you go to them?” he asked.

 

“They think I’m dead,” I said flatly.

 

His eyes widen. “You’re a-”

 

“Yeah. I’m not the child of a monster or a god, or an Inheritor like you.” I pull my knees up to my chest. “I’m a Grave Keeper.”

 

He leaned back on his hands. “You’ve died.”

 

“Kind of. Technically, Mictlantecuhtli decided I was ‘worthy’ and pulled me from life a second before I actually died, but the whole afterlife thing? Waking up in a coffin? I’ve done that bit.”

 

“To be fair, I don’t think most people go through the “waking up in a coffin” part, I but I see your point,” he said faintly. “How did you…?”

 

“A school shooting. I was fifteen and went to the elementary school to pick up my little brother because he’d gotten sick and Abuela couldn’t get off work. I found him and a couple boys in the bathroom. Then the shooter found us.” My voice was almost robotic at this point. “I charged him and knocked him down so the SWAT team could get to him. Got a stomach full of bullets. I was trying to protect my brother.”

 

“Why haven’t you told your family you’re alive?” he asked, still trying to wrap his brain around the whole situation.

 

At that moment, the boy called out “I’ll be right back _Abue_ , I'm just going to get some air.”

 

Javier wheeled himself out onto the patio area, the wheels of his wheelchair squeaky as they spun along the cement. I stared at him, tears forming in my eyes again.

 

“I was trying to protect my brother,” I repeated. “I just didn’t do a very good job.”

 

Caspian looked down at Javier and then back at me. “Alejandra, no,” he said, borderline angry. “That wasn’t your fault.”

 

“I couldn’t protect him!”

 

“You were fifteen, in an impossible situation. You. Saved. His. Life. You do understand that, right?” Seeing my tears begin fall, he pulled me into a side hug, tucking me into his side. “It wasn’t your fault. Your family is alive, and I bet they miss you. Go talk to them.”

 

“I can’t.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“It’s been six years. What if-” I break off and bury my face in Caspian’s neck, unable to even finish the sentence.

 

“What if they don’t want you anymore?” Caspian finished for me slowly. He released me from the hug and took my hands, ducking down to try to meet my gaze. When I finally locked eyes with him he said “If the roles were reversed, and your brother was the Grave Keeper, and you were in the wheelchair, wouldn’t you be desperate to see him?”

 

“Of course!”

 

“Then why is this any different?”

 

I opened my mouth to retort, and realized I had no argument. I swallowed hard.

 

“Cas?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I’m scared.”

 

It was the first time I’d ever admitted that out loud. Caspian, I think, knew that.

 

He stood up and offered me his hand. I hesitated, but took it and he pulled me up. “Come on,” he said, laughing at my yelp as he picked me up bridal style.

 

“What are we doing?” I asked uneasily.

 

He grinned down at me. “You’re introducing me to your family,” he said, and before I could say anything, snapped open his wings and leapt off the roof.

 

*****

 

There were many tears. There were a lot of explanations long overdue. We ate a truly unhealthy amount of _pozole_.

 

But most of all, there was relief. My brother and grandmother were overjoyed that I was alive. My grandmother thought Caspian was an angel at first, and it took a lot of convincing to tell her he really wasn’t.

 

And Caspian stood by me the whole time, as I explained what had happened, where I’d been, and why I hadn’t contacted them earlier.

 

When we got to that part, upon learning Cas’ influence in my revealing myself, my grandmother asked if he’d like another grandmother, and Javi shook his hand solemnly, thanking him for bringing me home, all of eleven and already a little man.

 

A person can have two homes. And I had two homes. Two families.

 

I think that was the moment I realized:

 

The team really was my family. It wasn’t just a thing we said to each other to be cute, it had become true.

 

And having not just one, but two families, was more than I’d ever thought I’d get. More than I thought I deserved.

 

But I got it anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I drew the squad if anyone's interested!
> 
> https://www.deviantart.com/avatareretria/art/Squad-17-761822557


	7. For a Son of Athena, Daniel Can Be a Little Thick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally learn a little about Daniel

“Has anyone seen Daniel?” I asked. We were sitting at the dining table playing cards. Or rather, Erin was demolishing us at poker.

 

I hadn’t seen him in a few days, which was strange. Even when he was on a reading binge, he usually showed up to at least one meal a day.

 

“He said he had to go home for a bit. Some sort of family emergency,” Tomás said, brow furrowed as he glared at his cards.

 

Erin smirked. “Struggling Hernández?”

 

“You wish, Wilson.”

 

I sat back in my chair, folding and tying my hair back. Daniel was, at this point, the person in the group I knew the least about. He was the one who helped me make decisions, the brains of the group. And while I trusted the son of Athena with my life, it unnerved me that we knew so little about him. I shrugged it off as Erin let out a whoop of triumph, raking in the pot again as Tomás pouted.

 

He’d talk to us when he was ready.

 

Just as another round was starting up, we heard the door open. “Director Harris!” I said in surprise, and shot to my feet. The others quickly followed suit. The Directors rarely came down to Agents’ living quarters, generally summoning Squads to the briefing or training rooms by comms. We’d never had a visit from him.

 

“Hello Squad 17. I’m sorry to interrupt you, but I’m afraid something has come up that you may want to be informed of.” He paused to wipe his sweaty brow. “Your teammate, Daniel,” I felt Erin stiffen next to me. “He...well, I believe he could use some help right now, even if he won’t admit it. The transport has his location programmed.”

 

“Sir, do we need to be ready to fight?” I asked, reaching for my jacket, seeing Erin and Tomás do the same. Caspian didn't grab any sort of covering, not caring if it might be cold where we were going because, I quote “sleeves are bullshit.” He never wore anything but sleeveless shirts and his trademark loose, vest-like shawl. He went over to the weapon’s rack and pulled out his holsters and pistols.

 

“No, I don’t believe so. But I think he could use your support at this time,” Director Harris said, motioning for Caspian to put his guns away. I could tell from his face it was strange for him, going out into the world unarmed when venturing out usually meant a fight for us. I pulled my _macuahuit_ l from my jacket and placed it on the rack. Cas’ eyes widened. “No Ale, one of us should have our weapon, just in case.”

 

“Tomás is a weapon,” I said, motioning over to Tomás and he wiggled his fingers at us in response. “Besides, if anything happens, you can just heal us!” My joke fell flat and Caspian still looked worried. I continued, “If Director Harris is right, then we won’t need these. This isn’t a mission.”

 

“Quite right. Well, I hope you’ll give Daniel my best. I’ll get out of your way now,” Harris said, stepping out of the room and walking down the hall.

 

“Director, wait!” I called, running up to him. He paused and turned. “What’s going on, sir?” I asked.

 

“I think it would be best to let Daniel explain that,” he sighed. I hesitated, then nodded. “Yes, sir.”

 

*****

 

The walk to the transporter was silent. No one spoke until we got the room. “So...we’re all agreed that if someone’s messing with him, we’re kicking their ass, weapons or no weapons?” Erin asked, determined. We all nodded our assent. I climbed up the stairs to the transport, the circle on the ground glowing a deep blue. I took a deep breath as my friends circled around me.

 

“Let’s go,” I said, nodding to the man who worked the machine. He plugged in some numbers and then-

 

We were outside a trailer. It looked pretty beat up, the windows and the side dirty. We glanced at each other. Whatever we were expecting, this was not it.

 

I tentatively took a step forward and knocked on the door. “Daniel?” I called. “It’s us...you there?”

 

There was a quiet shuffling sound and some quiet arguing, before I heard footsteps approach the door. It swung open, and I jumped backwards to avoid getting hit.

 

Inside was Daniel. There were deep circles under his eyes and his hair was a mess. He wasn’t wearing his jacket, and I spotted it hanging on a hook behind him.

 

“Hi guys,” he muttered.

 

“Dude, you look awful,” Tomás said, before yelping as Erin elbowed him in the stomach.

 

“Daniel, can you talk to us?” I said carefully. “What’s wrong?”

 

He looked at me for a moment, and I saw his eyes were tinged red. Had he been crying?

 

He slowly stepped out of the trailer. “Well,” he said, gesturing towards the trailer, “Welcome to my home.”

 

“What’s going on?” I asked again, not letting him distract me from the point.

 

He sighed and bowed his head, but not before I saw him struggling to hold back tears. After a moment, he straightened up and stared at a point in the distance, tears nowhere in sight. “It’s my dad,” he said.  “He has cancer.” He said it with no emotion in his voice.

 

“How bad?” Caspian, as always, was the first one to know what to ask in these situations.

 

“Stage four lung cancer,” Daniel said, leaning back against the trailer.

 

“Shouldn’t he be in a hospital?” Erin asked hesitantly.

 

Daniel barks a short laugh. “Yeah, wouldn’t that be a dream,” he said. We’d never seen him like this. Flat. Emotionless. “We can’t afford that. I might have been able to help if he’d told me earlier, I could have saved up my pay from the Agency. But now,” he shrugs, “I can’t help him much now.”

 

“He only just told you?” I asked.

 

“Yeah. Because he realized at this point he couldn’t pass it off as a really bad cold anymore.”

 

Caspian stepped forward and placed his hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “You know I can’t cure him at this stage, but I may be able to ease his pain a little,” he said gently. “Can I see him?”

 

Daniel looks at him gratefully. “I’d appreciate that. Thanks Caspian.” He looks to the rest of us. “There’s not much room in here, but you’re welcome to come in.

 

“Whatever you need,” Erin said, reaching around him and hugging him tight. I heard her whisper “We’re here for you, big guy.”

 

He nodded into her hair, not saying anything. We all filed into the trailer.

 

Inside, there was a little kitchen area that gave way into a small table pressed into the side of the trailer. An old TV with a broken antenna sat on a shelf across from a small black sofa that had seen better days. Above the sofa was a bed, that judging from the Harry Potter blanket, was most likely Daniel’s, though I couldn't imagine him fitting in it anymore, as big as he was. In the back, down a small hall, there was a door. “You can sit wherever there’s space. Cas, come on, I’ll take you back to meet him,” Daniel said, leading Caspian down to the door at the end of the hall.

 

Tomás and Erin situated themselves on the sofa, while I took a chair at the table by the kitchen area. A few minutes pass, and we listened in uneasy silence as we heard arguing in Chinese between Daniel and a man who I assumed was his father. Then a gentle murmur broke through, and I knew that it’s Caspian, gentle and persuasive. A few more minutes passed, and Daniel stepped back out from the room, closing the door behind him. He took a seat in the chair next to me.

 

“Cas says it’s going to sound really bad, but he thinks he can ease the pain some,” he said, voice flat.

 

“Okay,” I said, placing my hand on his clenched fist. He didn’t seem to relax. “We’re not going anywhere.”

 

The shouts began a minute later. Horrible, pained grunts give way to wails of agony. I saw Tomás and Erin wince occasionally, but otherwise remain stone faced. Daniel’s fist tensed and I saw the veins on his neck straining as he struggled to keep his emotions in check.

 

Finally he stood up. “I need some air,” he muttered, quickly exiting the trailer. I exchanged a look with Erin and Tomás. _Go,_ Tomás mouthed and Erin jerked her head in his direction. I nodded at them and went after Daniel.

 

*****

 

I found him sitting underneath a tree by the trailer. He had his arms wrapped around his knees and was staring off into the distant sunset. “Daniel,”

 

He made no outward acknowledgement of my presence, but didn’t tell me to leave. I slowly lowered myself so I was sitting next to him. We sat in silence for a while. I knew he he had to be the first to speak.

 

“He didn’t tell me,” he finally whispered. “I could have helped him, and he didn’t tell me.”

 

I kept my eyes trained on the sunset. “That was his choice, Dan.”

 

“It was the wrong choice.”

 

“Yeah. But so is cutting yourself off emotionally when you’re hurting.”

 

His head whipped around to look at me. His face contorted in anger. “You don’t know what it’s like-”

 

“To lose a family member? To feel them slowly losing life, to see them deteriorate before your eyes?” I glared at him. “Don’t you dare assume you know my life experience, Daniel Xu.”

 

He frowned. “Your dad?”

 

I give a short laugh. “No, I don’t know what happened to that asshole.” I took a deep breath. “Did I ever tell you what happened when we found my mom?”

 

His eyes widen. “You...you found your mom?”

 

“Yeah. What was left of her. They’d pumped her full of gods know what kind of drugs, and she didn’t recognize any of us. Kept screaming that she needed another hit. Abuela quit taking Javi to see her, but I kept going. Because it was my duty as the eldest. Even if she didn’t recognize me, I recognized her. So I sat with her, and brought her water, and fed her. I was with her when she died. And you know what I did, every time I got home?” I asked. Daniel jolted at being asked a question, too engrossed in my story to remember I had somewhere I was going with it.

 

“What?” he asked warily.

 

“I cried. I screamed. I I talked to my Abuela about how awful it felt and how unfair it was. I didn’t cut myself off from my family.” I poked him in the chest. “Which is exactly what you’re doing right now. Do you remember after that first mission, when you told me not to hide from the group?”

 

“That’s different-”

 

“Is it? You’re trying to keep something from the group by closing yourself off. And what did you tell me?”

 

He was quiet for a moment. “That we’re a team and we handle things together.”

 

“Yeah. We’re a team. And I don’t know about you, but this team has become my family. So let us help you.”

 

I could see the moment he broke. Tears sprung to his eyes and he pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he said through his sobs, and I just wrapped my arms around him and let him cry.

 

“Nothing to be sorry for, big man,” I whispered softly.

 

Tomás came out a few minutes later. He sat down on the other side of Daniel and leaned his head on his shoulder. “Where’s Erin?” I asked, rubbing small circles on Daniel’s back. He sat up and quickly wiped his eyes.

 

“I don’t want her to see me like this,” he muttered. Despite the circumstances, I wanted to laugh. Those two had been dancing around each other for months, Erin flirting on missions, Daniel going out of his way to do things for Erin, but neither of them seemed to have noticed the other’s attempts at getting the other's attention. It was borderline hilarious. But now wasn’t the time to bring that up.

 

“Relax, Dan-the-Man," Tomás said with a slight smile. "She left about ten minutes ago. Said there was something she had to take care of.”

 

I frowned. What could be more important than taking care of Daniel right now?

 

*****

 

Caspian, exhausted, exited the trailer a few minutes after Tomás. “He’s asleep,” he said, collapsing into the grass beside me. “He said he felt better, so I think I helped.”

 

“Thank you,” Daniel murmured.

 

“Do you know how long he’ll sleep?” I asked Caspian.

 

“A day at least.”

 

“Good,” I stood up, pulling Daniel up after me. “Come on, big man, we’re getting you some proper sleep.”

 

Half asleep already, he allowed me to pull him up. “Yeah okay,” he muttered.

 

Before we could request a transport beam, Erin came back.

 

She walked over to us and held out an envelope to Daniel. He pulled his arms away from where they were wrapped around Cas and me, and took it. “What’s this?” he asked, opening it.

 

“The last of my blood money,” Erin said quietly. Daniel’s eyes widened as he stared at the check she’d given him.

 

“No, Erin I can’t take this. This is too much,” Daniel protested, trying to hand it back to her. She backed away, not letting him.

 

“It should be enough for your dad to afford hospice care. I don’t want a cent of it.” She looks at Daniel with pleading eyes. “Please. Take it. Let it be used for something good at least, even if it wasn’t earned with good intentions.”

 

That was when we all noticed she wasn’t wearing her Poe Dameron jacket. She was wearing a simple black v-neck instead.  She looked like she’d been crying. _She finally did it,_ I realized, surprised. She’d been talking for a while now about cutting things off with her father, but this was it.

 

Daniel must have realized the same thing, because threw his arms around Erin, just whispering his thanks over and over, rocking her back and forth. She hugged him tight and buried her face in his shoulder.

 

Caspian wrapped his arm around me. “You did good,” he whispered.

 

“You too,” I whispered back, and we smiled at each other.

 

I didn’t notice Tomás standing awkwardly off to the side by himself.

 

It wasn’t the first time I wouldn’t notice, nor the last.

 

It was just one of many.

 

*****

 

We went to the funeral as a group. We held Daniel as he cried, and laughed with him as he told stories of his childhood.

 

When we got back to base, he cleared his throat, and everyone turned to face him.

 

“I wanted to thank all of you for, well everything. And I have a present for Erin. Well, we have a present for you. Everyone decided I should be the one to give it to you, but we all pitched in.”

 

She frowns in confusion. “Wait, what? You didn’t have to-”

 

“We really did,” Tomás said. “You look naked without a jacket.”

 

Erin froze, halfway through opening  the package. “Wait is this…”

 

“Just open it,” Caspian said gently.

 

Looking at us suspiciously, she pulled out-

  
“Is this a Han Solo jacket?” she whispered.

 

“Yeah, we know he’s your favorite anyway, so-”

 

“It was Daniel’s idea,” I interrupted him. He glared at me.

 

Erin leaped forward and pulled us into one big hug pile.

 

“You guys are the best,” she says with a grin, before releasing us and darting off to her room. “I wanna see how it looks!”

 

I saw Daniel’s dopey grin as he watched her run to her room and exchanged a quick grin with Caspian.

 

Tomás was again, left out.

 

I wish I’d noticed.

 

I wish he’d said something.

 

But I didn’t. He didn’t.

 

And now I can only wish.


	8. Worst Case Scenario

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yeah it doesn't get a lot worse than this

It was actually pretty hilarious, how Erin and Daniel finally ended up getting together. Tomás was in a mood and after listening to Daniel’s thinly veiled pining,  finally just told Daniel that Erin had been flirting with him for months. Daniel, who looked, as Tomás described to me later, “like a fish who’d forgotten how to breathe,” immediately went to his room to do god knows what.

 

We all heard crashing from his room for the next four hours. Finally, upon seeing that I had no intention of checking up on him, Erin announced, “I’m going to go see what’s going on.” Cas, Tomás and I looked at each other in silent agreement, and the moment Erin turned her back, we all disappeared into our rooms.

 

Erin told me later what happened. Apparently, Daniel had been working all afternoon on some great grand gesture in the form of some sort of contraption, to tell her how he felt. Instead, what he ended up with was a mess. Like literally, sitting in  mess of goop and wooden pieces. She just laughed, and tackled him back, kissing him.

 

Simple as that.

 

They began spending more and more time together, and Cas and I were spending time hanging out at the Patio. Tomás grew more and more quiet, more withdrawn over that month.

 

Finally he reached his breaking point.

 

We were on a mission, and had just beaten a dragon and his rider. Daniel and I had been knocked back by its tail late in the fight, the wind knocked out of us. The dragon defeated, the rider in chains, Daniel and Caspian had rushed over to check on us. Relieved we weren’t hurt, they turned back to the fallen dragon when we all heard an “Oi!”

 

We all whirled around to see Tomás, bleeding profusely from an arrow embedded in his side and from a wound on his head. “I don’t know if anyone _cares,_ but I just got shot by an arrow, and am probably poisoned and concussed. _If_ you’re done making eyes at each other long enough to help me out, it would be _much appreciated_.”

 

He glared at our horrified faces, before stumbling forward, falling to one knee, and collapsing to the ground.

 

*****

 

We healed him, we got him back to base where his concussion could be taken care of, but we were shaken and ashamed. All of us, all four of us, had forgotten him in our moment of panic. Forgotten how he had been flung from the back of the dragon, trying to reach the Rider to end the fight quickly, and struck his head on a rock, then been shot with not just the one arrow he’d displayed, but two others embedded in his back. How had we just forgotten that? Forgotten him?

 

When he woke, he told us in a quiet voice, that he was taking a break from the Agency. He wasn’t sure what he’d do, where he’d go. “I just need a break,” he said and we could all hear what he wasn’t saying. _I just need a break from you._

 

We let him go. We had no justification, no words that could fix what we’d done. Or not done, rather. None at all.

 

*****

 

A week later, we were assigned a new teammate. All of us were nervous and uneasy, waiting in the briefing room for them to arrive.

 

He stepped into the room, Director Harris at his heels. He was handsome, with dark brown skin and long dreads that were tied back in a bun. He wore a strange black shirt, that had a royal blue hood stitched to the upper half, and black, slim fitting pants with combat boots. At his side a scabbard held a sword with a simple hilt. He greeted each of us with a warm smile and a firm handshake.

 

“Tobias Robinson will be your teammate, at least as long as Tomás is on his...leave of absence,” Director Harris said, patting Tobias on the back. “He’s a Knight of the Blue Hood,” he continued and my eyebrows shot up. The Knights of the Blue hood were an extremely prestigious group of families whose job was the protection and use of the Ichor of the gods. The blood of the gods was an extremely valuable and powerful resource. When swallowed, it made the person who ingested it extremely powerful. The families, however, were rather famously very white. Tobias was very much not. Which meant that he had passed their many, many tests and earned his knighthood. It wasn’t just a title passed down to him. This was _extremely_ rare. In fact, in the last century, only three outsiders had achieved knighthood.

 

It was impressive to say the least.

 

“You can call me Toby,” he said with a small smile. “It’s really a pleasure to get to work with you. Squad 17 is becoming rather legendary.”

 

“We do our best,” I said, standing up. “I’m Alejandra, team leader. It’s nice to meet you Toby. You’ll have to excuse us. I know our reception hasn’t been very warm,” I looked pointedly at my teammates, who are staring at the floor. “We’re still reeling from our teammate’s departure.”

 

“I get it. It’s a rough thing. Well, I hope I can prove my worth, and show that I can be helpful at least.”

 

“I’m sure you will. Let’s get to training, shall we?” I asked with a small smile.

 

*****

 

Toby was, in short, an incredible fighter. He always seemed to be exactly where we needed him. It didn’t take many training sessions to get into a comfortable rhythm with him. The others warmed up to him quickly, and while it wasn’t the same as with Tomás, it wasn’t bad either.

 

I became rather close to him. He was easy to talk to, and an excellent listener. I found that I could tell him things that I couldn’t even tell Caspian. He said it was probably because he was an outside source. I just patted his leg and said, “Give it time. I’ll have no more outsiders in this Squad.”

 

*****

Caspian stopped me in the kitchen as I heated up my midnight milk. “You and Toby are becoming awfully close.”

 

“Mhmm,” I said, half asleep, pulling the mug out from the microwave.

 

“Don’t you think it’s like...disrespectful to Tomás or something? Replacing him.”

 

I frowned. “I’m not replacing Tomás with Toby, Cas, I just don’t want to make the same mistake I made with Tomás, and leave him out as like a fifth wheel or whatever.”

 

“Is that why you’re avoiding me?” Okay, so I hadn’t been _avoiding_ him persay. I’d just noticed...feelings that I really wasn’t in the right headspace to deal with. And it was difficult to not deal with those feelings when I was around him. So I just wasn’t around him as much.

 

Okay, so I was avoiding him.

 

“Look, it’s complicated okay?”

 

“But you can tell Tobias.” Caspian said flatly.

 

“It’s not like-” My eyes widened. “Are you jealous?” I asked curiously.

 

He opened his mouth to respond, when our comms went off. _Mission Briefing in ten minutes._

 

I frowned. “It’s the middle of the night.”

 

Cas was already walking to Daniel’s room. “Good luck waking Erin up,” he called over his shoulder. I shuddered. While Daniel could sleep through a tornado, Erin fought like the Karate Kid when it was time to wake up. _Good luck indeed._

 

_*****_

 

It was our third mission with Toby, four months after we met him.

 

“Brace yourselves folks. This mission won’t be an easy one.”

 

“They never are, sir,” I said rolling my eyes. _How bad could it be?_

 

Then he brought up a picture on screen and we all froze.

 

It was Tomás. He was slumped forward  in a metal chair, legs chained to the legs, hands bound behind him, body tied down with heavy rope. His hair was matted with blood, the bandana covering his eyes soaked red, and the one in his mouth tied tight. What little skin we could see looked heavily bruised.

 

“Who did this?” I said coldly. I felt my team shift beside me, hands at their weapons.

 

“The Red Hand.”

 

I felt all the blood drain from my face and heard Erin gasp. The Red Hand were a group we knew so much and yet so little about. We knew that they tortured people, without caring what information they got out of them. That they killed, seemingly with no reason. They committed atrocities, worked with monsters, but we had no idea why.

 

I listened with half my brain elsewhere, trying to process what was happening. _Not Tomás,_ was all my brain seemed capable of saying.

 

Finally, we were released to head to the transport. We were all deathly silent, all united in our purpose.

 

To get our brother back.

 

*****

 

“Everyone in position?” I whispered into my earpiece. I heard affirmatives from everyone in the group. We were in some sort of training room, a wide open space that would look like a school gym if not for the black decor and the lack of basketball hoops. And the torture center off to the right. I imagine most school gyms don’t have that either.

 

The left side of the gym had a handful of people in varying states of bondage and health, and we had immediately spotted Tomás, coatless, in one of the chairs. He looked even worse than the picture we’d seen of him.

 

Taking up a third of the room on the far right were three tables, with carts full of varying torture implements. Two of the tables were occupied and being manned by two men each.

 

The original plan had been to just get Tomás and get out, but that went out the window real fast when we saw the situation. Caspian looked at me with pleading eyes. “We can’t just leave them,” he whispered.

 

“We’re not going to,” I responded. We had found rooftop access into the building and Cas had flown us up into hidden positions around the rafters of the high-ceilinged room. I nodded to Erin, who began to scurry down a pole along the side of the room to disable the alarms Daniel had spotted around the gym.

 

The screams of the people on the tables covered any noise Erin might have made. She cut through, one, two, three of the four alarms. Suddenly, one of the men manning the tables stretched and looked up, spotting me. “Intruder!” he roared, and ran towards the one alarm Erin hadn’t disactivated yet. I tried to drop down on top of him to knock him out, but he weaved out of the way and I slammed into the ground, letting out a yell as I felt something in my side crack.

 

He slammed his gloved fist onto the alarm and it began to sound. Caspian flew down and attempted to barricade the double doors where he knew reinforcements would be coming. Toby quickly climbed down and ran over to Tomás, not forgetting the mission goal. He pulled the bandana and gag out and Tomás eyes flickered open. Their eyes met, and despite not having been made immune to Tomás’ thrall, Toby didn’t pause in unlocking the chains and untying him. “Who-?” Tomás asked weakly.

 

“Later man. We gotta get you outta here.” He picked up Tomás, now freed, began running towards where he climbed down from the ceiling.

 

Tomás spotted me on the ground. “ _NO!”_ he screamed, realization of what was happening dawning on him. “It’s a trap Alejandra, _run!”_

 

Daniel, finally having climbed down off the roof, charged towards where Caspian was desperately trying to keep the door closed. They pushed against the doors with all their strength before being slammed backwards as the doors flew open. An older man, with cold green eyes, well groomed black hair, and pale skin stepped into the room studying his surroundings. He began clapping slowly. _“_ I see the Agency got the photo we sent,” he said with a smirk, raising a hand to rub his short, graying beard. “Though I must say, Squad 17,” he looked around at where we had almost all fallen, “You are _quite_ the let down.”

 

Men dressed all in black save for the blood red gloves they wore, swords at their hips, marched into the room, grabbing each of us and held us firmly in place, lining us up before the green eyed man. The hands gripping me felt oddly warm and wet, and I realized that the red gloves were dripping blood. I tried instinctively to pull away, but the men held on tight. I looked over to Tomás. He had dropped to his knees and was sobbing, broken. I wanted to reach out, to help him, but was powerless to do anything.

 

The man with the green eyes walked over to me and took my chin in his hand. I glared up at him. “So you’re Alejandra Navarro, eh? The leader of Squad 17, come to rescue your little friend?” I jerked my face out from his grasp and spat in his face. He wiped his face and smirks. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

 

He walked down the line, inspecting each of my teammates, before striding back over to me. “Yes, I think you’ll do nicely,” he said, patting my face gently. “We’re going to have a lot of fun, you and I.”

 

Then he walked over to Caspian. “As for you?” he said. “I don’t deal with mutts.” He drew the sword of one of the men holding Cas.

 

And drove it through Caspian’s chest.

  


**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on tumblr at salty-parabola.tumblr.com


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